Expert: Anne Springer, B.S., Dip., CAPCT - 4/17/2008

Question
Hi, I hope you can help urgently as it's almost D day for our Beagle. Our Beagle is an 8 month old make who has been de-sexed. He has been very hard work since day one and we are first time dog owners so I feel terribly guilty that we have messed him up. I've had him to puppy training classes since he was old enough and we have followed on with dog training which he is amazingly very good at. He is a Beagle after all and will do just about anything for a food treat. The trouble is he bites and this week he has really upped the anti, biting and showing lots of aggression, snarling, curled up lip biting when we have tried to stop him from doing something he is not allowed. One incident last night he was just determined to get into my daughters bedroom as I was coming out. He's never been allowed in the kids rooms as he steals cuddly toys and chews them to death but he went off it and really had a go at me. He doesn't break the skin but he snaps and snaps and will get your whole arm in his mouth which leaves bruises and scratches. This was the third time in the day he did this. When we spoke to the VET about she suggested a behavior assessment which cost a fortune and she suggested in his case only long term tranquilizers would work, this also costs more than we can afford. The RSPCA said that they would just put him down straight away as he bites. Generally this dog is very attention seeking, he rarely settles when he's in the house and he chews everything so we keep him outside and watch him like a hawk when he's inside. Is his behavior normal? Should we put up with the biting? Is it really biting if he doesn't break the skin? By the way, the dog never steps out of line when my husband is in the room because he knows he will get a kick up the backside if he misbehaves. I've tried mostly training with kindness but have also resorted to smacking him very hard when he goes for us, to try and let him see it's not appropriate. I hate doing this and usually it doesn't work anyway. I suppose the big question is should he be put to sleep. I will feel dreadful if we had to do that and that we had failed him.

Answer
Aggression against the dog doesn't do anything but make the situation worse.  Apparently, when you were teaching him his early manners, you may have accidentally used aggression to keep him from nipping, when you should simply have yelped and withdrawn your attention and provided him the opportunity to play with other dogs, which is how pups learn from their own kind as well.  Perhaps you didn't get very good advice in training him, didn't follow through correctly, or he is the odd unusual pup with a screw loose (rare).

If you want to try again, my advice is to muzzle the dog when you can't be sure he won't bite - if you need to reward him with food, choose a muzzle that you can slip a treat into, (or use canned cheese  like Kraft "Easy Cheese" - dogs love it) (Also, you need to acclimate him to the muzzle properly - see this info: http://www.morrco.com/trdogtowemu.html  
Stop all aggression toward this puppy and use the lessons here: www.clickerlessons.com.  At times when you have the muzzle off, and once he knows a few behaviors like "sit", "down" and "stay", start making him work for his dinner, kibble by kibble.  Do not free feed him.  Suddenly, you will become very important.  If he puts his mouth on you AT ALL, yelp (like you were hit by a car) and leave the room.  Don't make any eye contact or speak to the dog other than the yelp.  If he has not had lots of experience playing with other dogs, find a way for him to do that (dog day care, dog park, neighbors, CLASS - yes, as an adolescent he needs to go again!!!) Find a positive reinforcement type class: www.clickerteachers.net.  IMMEDIATELY STOP HITTING OR KICKING YOUR PUPPY - AGGRESSION BEGETS AGGRESSION AND HIS FAVORITE TARGET MAY BE YOU OR YOUR CHILD, NOT YOUR SCARY HUBBY.  Here are some ideas on dealing with a dog that is pushy - the first step is to change the relationship you have with this dog:
http://www.joycefay.com/articles/dominantdogs.shtml
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1551&articleid=2415
http://www.shirleychong.com/keepers/dance.html
http://www.shirleychong.com/keepers/mindgames.html
http://www.vin.com/VINDBPub/SearchPB/Proceedings/PR05000/PR00470.htm
I hope this information helps, but IMO you really should have considered the expense of owning a dog before getting one.  What would be the difference between a bill for a behaviorist and one for a vet if the dog became ill?  I know that it seems like a lot of money, but compare that against having to kill your dog at the age of 8 months!  My guess is that you were unfortunate enough to be newbies and got a dog with a challenging temperament.  But, I also don't agree with euthanizing a dog that hasn't broken skin, is still a puppy, and might be saved by the intervention of a professional.